Mi padre reconoce que su peor defecto es ser terco cuando cree que tiene razón.

My father admits that his worst flaw is being stubborn when he thinks he is right.

Breakdown of Mi padre reconoce que su peor defecto es ser terco cuando cree que tiene razón.

• ser: to be
• mi: my
• cuando: when
• su: his

Questions & Answers about Mi padre reconoce que su peor defecto es ser terco cuando cree que tiene razón.

Why is reconoce used here? Does it mean recognizes?

Not usually in this sentence. Here reconocer que... means to admit, to acknowledge, or to concede that...

So:

• Mi padre reconoce que... = My father admits/acknowledges that...

Spanish reconocer can sometimes mean to recognize in the sense of identifying someone or something, but with que + clause, it often means to admit.

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Why is it Mi padre and not El mi padre?

In Spanish, possessive words like mi, tu, su, nuestro normally replace the article.

So you say:

• mi padre = my father
• not el mi padre

This is standard Spanish structure.

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What does su peor defecto mean exactly?

It means his worst flaw/defect.

Breakdown:

• su = his/her/your/their
• peor = worse/worst (here: worst)
• defecto = defect, flaw, fault

So su peor defecto means his worst flaw.

In this sentence, su is understood as referring to mi padre.

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